The micro-ethics of discomfort: Addressing the perfect/imperfect ethical dichotomies of International Development

Case, Peter; Sliwa, Martyna

Abstract

In this paper, we develop an understanding of what we refer to as the ‘micro-ethics of discomfort’ and, on its basis, propose an approach to addressing ethical challenges in the research field, especially in relation to International Development (ID) research projects involving the collaboration of partners from the so-called Global North and Global South. We suggest the possibility of resolving ethical dilemmas and building genuinely positive relationships among project partners through a process of adaptation and change, rooted in self-reflexivity and an embodied and experiential approach to scrutinising one’s own discomfort through examining the assumptions and prejudices underlying it. Below, we first outline the theoretical inspiration behind our analysis before briefly explaining our methodological approach. We then offer three vignettes that illustrate different situations in which such ethical discomfort was experienced by Peter during his project work in Laos, before moving on to a discussion of the ‘micro-ethics of discomfort’.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Stream 50 - Organizational Research on and from the Global South: Overcoming the ‘Perfect/imperfect’ Dichotomy; 38th EGOS Colloquium, 7-9 July 2022
• Start Date: Jul 7, 2022
• End Date: Jul 9, 2022
• Deposit Date: Aug 23, 2022
• Keywords: Ethics, International Development, rural development, embodiment, sociomateriality
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9903056
• Publisher URL: https://www.egos.org/jart/prj3/egos/main.jart?rel=de&reserve-mode=active&content-id=1646195112672&subtheme_id=1604725601425&show_prog=yes
• Related Public URLs: https://www.egos.org/jart/prj3/egos/main.jart?rel=de&reserve-mode=active&content-id=1646195112672&subtheme_id=1604725601425; ; https://www.egos.org/